ELYRIA, Ohio — A historic downtown Elyria building is being torn down, but that demolition went wrong, causing damage to at least two buildings nearby.
Watch News 5 at 6 p.m. for reporter Nadeen Abusada's report.
In downtown Elyria, historic structures create the cityscape. One of those is the old Shane Furniture building on Broad Street, which they've been working to demolish since September.
But on Thursday, that demolition went south.
“I was shocked,” said Dan Martin, a building developer.
“It was our worst nightmare come true. We were so afraid for these other buildings,” said Clint Rohrabacher with the Elyria Arts Council.
The video shows the top of the building collapsing, with pieces falling on the adjacent building. Through the window, you can even see that debris break through the ceiling and fall through the center of the building next door. Photos show a gaping hole left behind.
“As I was standing there filming, the building collapsed onto the building next to it and just punctured right through the roof. We were all just stunned by that,” said Rohrabacher.
The video was taken by Clint Rohrabacher, who works across the street. He told News 5 they’ve been worried.
“From the very beginning, there's just been some concerns,” said Rohrabacher.
No one was injured in the collapse, but multiple buildings were damaged.
“Well, I got a phone call Thursday saying that a chimney fell from the bank through a building two doors down, which was mine," Martin said.
Two of those affected buildings were Martin's.
“I was shocked because I never thought that demolition could shoot that far. I was pretty upset,” said Martin.
When a historic building like the Shane Furniture one comes down, it doesn't just affect those next to it, but the entire downtown.
“It's very dispiriting for those of us that are down here trying to make a positive difference in our town and revitalize it and bring it back, because we love Elyria,” said Rohrabacher.
Martin and Rohrabacher are both trying to give downtown Elyria a new life, but collapsed structures, like the one Broad Street, don't help.
“We do have so many positive things. This is the bummer when something happens like this and sets us back," said Martin.
News 5 reached out to the city through phone calls and email. We also tried to reach the contractor, but neither responded.
For Martin and Rohrabacher, they hope the city steps in to make sure no other buildings are damaged.
“They just want to see things come and grow — not get torn down and taken away — because we're all down here working to make this a better city,” said Rohrabacher.
Martin says the city is working with him to get things fixed.
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